Appointment of New Cyber-Czar – Politics as Usual or Real Change?

Almost seven months ago to the day, President Obama announced that "[i]t is now clear this cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation…We’re not as prepared as we should be, both as a government or as a country." In response to that proclamation, it has been announced that Mr. Obama will be announcing the appointment of the nation’s first Cyber-Czar, Mr. Howard A. Schmidt. According to Mr. John Markoff of The New York Times, Mr. Schmidt is an industry executive with government experience who served as a cybersecurity adviser in the Bush administration and who also has a military and law enforcement background. His appointment is seen as a compromise between factions that make up the government and private sector. The issue to be resolved will be whether Mr. Schmidt begins to shift the focus of emphasis away from a technology-centric policy that emphasizes innovation, and more of a behavioral focus in which people and processes are emphasized.

The root of our national problem related to cyber-security is that people’s habits, or behaviors, have not changed with the advent of new technologies. The new Cyber-Czar needs to understand that technology alone will not secure our nation’s infrastructure. A "control conscious corporate culture" needs to be adopted throughout industries that assists organizations in developing a culture where employees are consciously aware of the internal and external threats that their organization’s controls are confronted with on a daily basis. Once this is established, then the risks associated with our cyber-infrastructure will be better mitigated.